Tuesday, September 11, 2007

I was sad that day. So were my friends and my family. And so was everyone else I saw on the street whether were able to make eye contact or could only stare at the ground.

Also there was unity and togetherness and community. I remember sitting on my front stoop with my neighbors and a candle. I remember a Philadelphia Flyers exhibition was called off halfway through because the crowd was chanting to see the President's speech on the big screen instead of the game for which they bought tickets.

But now?

I don't care about September 11th anymore. I'm cynical. I observe no moment of silence.

Our government vowed to make them pay. Our government vowed to make us safe.

Yet here we are six years later. Are the revenge-seekers placated? Have they paid? There is not even a clear answer to the question of who it is we are seeking to exact revenge upon. I thought that this attack was perpetrated by Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization. By proxy, that meant the Taliban regime of Afghanistan that encouraged his operation.

So today is September Whatever, 2007. We are not yet safe. The crazies that crashed planes on purpose are still to blame for those terrible events.

They are already dead.

So who is really paying for it?

The US troops, Iraqi civilians, and the common taxpayers paying for the war on terror don't even get to be famous. We gave all that fame to bin Laden and groups of irrational fanatics all over the world. They're not hot. They can't sing and they can't dance. But boy do we do a great job getting their brand out there for them. They don't even have their own show but we can't stop talking about them about how scary and evil and threatening they are.

In fact, I'm ready to stop talking about them. What if we said that they couldn't be famous anymore and our media outlets and elected officials stopped talking about them like they were celebrities all of the time? What if we stopped spending all this money on them and spent it on ourselves for once?

We sure could use some of that fame and fortune down here in New Orleans.Mr. President, can we have some hospitals?

3 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I do agree that the war in Iraq has not made us safer. Instead, it has weakened our militry and hurt our international reputation. Hasn't this misadventure made us weaker and Iran stronger by eliminating their main rival. Arnen't countries like Russia and China glad we are stuck there. Aren't the terrorist glad that we have given them a new cause and new targets. The best defense against a new terroristic attack is good intelligence and good police work. Don

So what do you think about this new Osama Bin Laden video tape? Maybe propaganda so remind us that we ARENT safe...(and that is why we are still over there???)http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/29/bin.laden.transcript/index.html